URBANDUB has been around for 17 years! And for that, we’re listing down 17 things we love about this band.

To our generation, URBANDUB is commonly associated teen life. And we’re sure some of the bands in your high school were formed out of the influence from this, dare we say, legendary group.  And in the 17 years they’ve been in the scene, URBANDUB has released a total of six albums.

And not only that, they’re also dubbed the first indie OPM band in the country to release albums nationwide with the assistance of a major label.

And withe all those years they’ve been in the scene, here’s the previous and current roster of the band. Here are the people behind the success of URBANDUB:

Gabby Alipe  (lead vocals, rhythm guitar 2000- 2015, 2016 – present)John Dinopol  (lead guitar, backing vocals 2000- 2015, 2016 – present)Lalay Lim-Geronimo (bass guitar, backing vocals 2000- 2015, 2016 – present)JanJan Mendoza – drums 2003- 2015, 2016 – present)touring members: Russ Manaloto (bass guitar, backing vocals – 2016-2017) & Sam Saludsong (drums 2016-2017); andformer members Jed Honrado (drums 2000 – 2002), Jerros Dolino (drums 2000 – 2003), & Homer Cawili (Lead guitarist 2000 – 2004)

These people’s journey(s) through the highs and lows of life allow them to create something wonderful together. And that’s why we’ve listed down some of the highlights of this band’s career!

1. The band’s front man has a bad-ass tattoo BIRTH MARK shaped like Cebu!

Can you say it with us? Gabby Alipe is king!

2. They’ve got some sick reggae influences!

Did you know that URBANDUB was supposed to be a reggae band?

As they are from Cebu City, the band was exposed to A LOT of reggae. Yep, there are a wide range of reggae community within city too. And as explained by lead vocalist Gabby Alipe, dub, ska, dancehall, hiphop, and rock were originally the band’s genres hence the band name.

But due to some changes, they stuck with (just) rock but not entirely changing their band name. Eventually though, you’ll notice that they performed songs with hints of said genres.

3. The Birth of Urbandub (2001)

URBANDUB went through a rough start. Yep, like most bands starting out, they also lacked the support they needed to push through with music.

But, with enough perseverance and passion, they eventually made it with their first album. ‘Birth’ was the birth of the band we now know as URBANDUB.

Taking you back to one of the very first songs of URBANDUB in 2001, we listen to “Boy” which we think is one of their best solid expressions of their genre, rock.

Birth Complete Track list:

Boy 
Breakdown 
Would You Go 
Dissect 
Eating Me 
Picture 
Give 
Come 
It’s Over 
Two Things 
Apart (a collaboration with Dice & K9) 
Give (acoustic version)

4. Influenced to flourish by their second year (2003)

By this album, they’ve clearly defined the musical style of the band. And despite changing drummers and the unfortunate accident with their guitarist John Dinopol, the band continued to flourish.

It was still definitely a good year for the band, though.  Since this is when they released award-winning and most famous song to date, ‘Soul Searching’.

Influence Complete Song list:

Fallen on Deaf Ears 
Under Crisis 
Soul Searching 
Runaway 
Versus 
Gone 
Sailing 
Quiet Poetic 
A New Tattoo 
Lover Among Ruins

5. Embraced by the whole country (2005)

And the making of their third album, ‘Embrace’ was quite unique approach.

This was the year they released the one of the most played songs on local radio, the pop anthem ‘First of Summer’. And what others don’t know is that another one of their songs, ‘Endless, A Silent Whisper’ is the prequel of the events in ‘First of Summer’.

Embrace Complete Song List

An Interlude Between Closeness 
Alert The Armory 
Frailty 
First of Summer 
When Heroes Die 
Reveal The Remedy 
The Arsonist 
Endless, A Silent Whisper 
Safety in Numbers 
A City of Sleeping Hearts 
The End of Something

6. They mixed it up with Under Southern Lights (2007)

By 2007, URBANDUB tried mixing it up a little with a new approach on their branding. And by this time, they’ve gained so much popularity having sold more than 10,000 albums and touring the country. WHOA!

Under Southern Lights Complete Song List

An Invitation 
Anthem 
The Fight Is Over 
Guillotine 
Cebuana 
Life Is Easy 
Evidence 
A Method To Chaos 
Inside The Mind of A Killer
She Keeps Me Warm

7. The Apparition (2009) was URBANDUB’s most experimental album.

And it took them quite an immersive song-making process at the mountains in Cebu to be able to produce this comprehensive collection of tracks.

So here’s ‘Gravity’ from this album. Let us know in the comments how grabe you think this video is!

The Apparition Complete Song List

Meneurs De Loup 
The Apparition
Face in the Woods 
Gravity 
When Shadows Have Eyes 
What This Night Brings 
A Call To Arms 
Arrows 
Tongues Like Knives 
Bright City Kids 
Stars & The Sun 
Over The Hill & Back 
We Kept It Hidden 
Good Morning Bones 
Mountains Tell Stories

8. The final goodbye with Esoteric (2013)—sort of!

Esoteric is their last album prior to their farewell last 2015. It’s so sweet that they thought to give back to the fans for their undying love and support!

This album actually even included a track entitled Never Will I Forget’ dedicated to the Dubistas (the URBANDUB fans). *heavy!* 

9. As an expected result of popularity, many people were inspired to play their songs.

And we’ve got the proof right here! Here are some Filipino YouTubers helping us learn the chords online. It’s much like we did learning them from Song Hits magazines, right?

10. The Not-So-Secret Reunion gig!

URBANDUB gave us a tear-jerking surprise this year, performing at The 70’s Bistro and at 19 East Bar last February. And we’re just all so glad to have them back! Officially!

11. The Karpos Live 3.1 Gig

Yes, URBANDUB is very much alive and they just had one of the nostalgic live performances just recently, thanks to to Karpos Live 3.1 last Sunday, October 7, 2018.

They performed with Swedish band, The Royal Concept, and the local band rocked our hearts out just as they always do!

Of course it wouldn’t be an all out URBANDUB gig without the ever so popular ‘First of Summer’!

it’s the first of summer here at #karposlive mix 3.1 with @urbandub pic.twitter.com/HIW11WTYwD

— Karpos Live (@KarposLive) October 7, 2018

the fight is over // @urbandub #karposlive mix 3.1 pic.twitter.com/9nUqh2Zimp

— Karpos Live (@KarposLive) October 7, 2018

12. We all know this—their songs are pretty good to sing along to.

Let’s indulge ourselves with a nonstop playlist of popular URBANDUB songs. Come on, listen, sing along, and relive your memories with URBANDUB with us.

13. URBANDUB is one of our top requested bands to play in schools and universities!

Since the band has been popular and relatable among the university population, it is just right to have them perform on school events. Man, how fun is it to wave our phones and scream with Gabby and the gang?

14. And since Christmas is near, we just have to include these tracks!

Of all the versions of popular Christmas hit, ‘Last Christmas’, theirs was romantic and well-crafted rock rendition of it!

15. Cool MIND BLOWING Collabs!

We all know how big of a collab promoter Coke Studios is, which is why we were ecstatic find out that URBANDUB had landed a creative collab performance last year with popular OPM artists like The Ransom Collective.

16.  They’re on Spotify, and of course they’re part of our playlists!

Bet your earphones are gonna be glued on your ears once you start playing URBANDUB on your mobile.

17. URBANDUB continues to grace us with their live performances!

Check out where URBANDUB is performing this month! Yep, these guys are DEF back.

It’s such an amazing experience to get to know our favorite artists like URBANDUB. Knowing what they had to go through, their source of inspiration, and what makes them who they are are always great stories to hear. So make sure you keep coming back here for more ENCORE FEATURES.

So how about you guys? Aside from URBANDUB, which other OPM artists would you guys like to know more about? Shoot us a comment below so we can feature them on our next ENCORE FEATURE. Be updated and check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @udouph.